COMPOSITION & FILM SCORING

1st Cycle Academic Diploma
Authorized by MIUR, the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research

The 3-year Composition Academic Course was born from an attentive fusion between traditional studies – such as counterpoint, harmony, orchestration – and an attentive look on the contemporaneous professional issues, in order to provide each student with all the necessary tools and skills to achieve his/her own music ideas with the most suited techniques. Each subject will be targeted to applied music: music for films, commercials, short movies, documentaries.

The student will also have the chance to develop his/her own composition knowledge with the support of music ensembles and with a deep look to the solutions offered by virtual instruments. The study of the different subjects (Harmony, Counterpoint, Orchestration and Basic Techniques of Orchestra Leading, Hard Disk Recording, Virtual Instruments, etc.) will enhance the student to widen his/her own specific knowledge. The student will develop a whole professional preparation gradually, attaining the most complete realization of his/her composition ideas.

An important yearly meeting, and strong point of the Composition Academic Course is the one with the strings orchestra, with soloists (woodwinds) and percussionists who will perform the scores written by all the students, allowing a real perception of all that was written. A large impact didactic experience.

Qualification Validity

The 1st cycle academic diploma issued by Saint Louis is equally valid both in Italy and in Europe, as all qualifications issued by Italian and European Conservatories.
The Course is of EQF level 6 and enhances the student, upon termination, to access Master Level Courses (EQF 7) both in Italy and abroad. To better understand the EQF – European Qualification Framework – for the Italian Higher Education System please visit the website Quadro dei Titoli Italiani.
The Course is ECTS based. Every year is worth 60 ECTS credits, for a total of 180 ECTS credits. To better understand the ECTS – European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System – please visit the dedicated page on the European Commission website.

Breakthroughs and opportunities

At the end of the three-year Course, the graduated student will have the necessary skills and experience for his/her own artistic career. He/she will be ready to practice the acquired profession or will have the chance to choose to continue his/her studies, attending the further two-year specialization course in either Film & TV Scoring Composition or in Applied Music.
Composition graduated Students willing to continue in specialization Courses of other Departments (ex. Songwriting, Jazz Performance, Electronic Music, etc.) will have to sit an Admission Test.

Download the Course Curricula

STUDY-PLAN

	1st YEAR	H.	ECTS	2nd YEAR	H.	ECTS	3nd YEAR	H.	ECTS
HARMONY	Harmony theories and techniques 1	30	4	Harmony theories and techniques 2	30	4
	Score reading 1	32	6	Score reading 2	32	6	Score reading 3	32	4
COMPOSITION	Composition 1	60	12	Composition 2	40	12	Composition 3	40	12
	Counterpoint techniques 1	30	9	Counterpoint techniques 2	30	4	Counterpoint techniques 3	30	6
	Composition for music applied to images 1	30	8	Composition for music applied to images 2	30	8	Orchestration and Arrangement	30	8
				Orchestration 1	30	5	Orchestration 2	30	4
HISTORY and ANALYSIS	Music history and historiography 1	30	2	Music history and historiography 2	20	2	History of music forms and repertories	30	3
	Music aesthetics	30	5	History of music applied to images 1	30	3	History of music applied to images 2	30	2
				Music theatre history	20	2	Literature and texts for music	20	4
MUSIC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY	Music technology 1	20	2	Music technology 2	20	2	Music technology 3	36	3
ORGAN PRACTICE	Organ practice and gregorian chant 1	30	4
CHOIR				Choir 1	30	2	Choir 2	30	2
ENGLISH / ITALIAN	English / Italian	20	2	English / Italian	20	2
ELECTIVE STUDIES	Electives		6	Electives		6	Electives		6
FINAL ASSESSMENT							Final thesis		6
total hours	1st YEAR	302	60	2nd YEAR	332	60	3rd YEAR	308	60

ADMISSION TEST

1st TEST: 8 hours

Harmonization of a given bass, with imitated progressions for 4 voices
Flowery Counterpoint for 4 voices on given tune
Orchestra instrumentation (Beethovenian ensemble) of 16 measures, taken from a piano tune chosen by the Evaluation Board

2nd TEST: 8 hours

Exposition of 16 measures of a piano tune on a given melody, complete with accompaniment
Composition of 20 measures taken from a score, created and mixed with Virtual Instruments

3rd TEST:

Interview and discussion with the Evaluation Board of the tests sit during the previous days, score reading test and submission of works previously composed by the candidate.

HOW TO APPLY – DATES AND DEADLINES

The INTAKES (admissions tests) for International Students are held every year in
FEBRUARY (1st INTAKE)
JUNE (2nd INTAKE)

The precise dates will be communicated once the interested students apply for the Courses and, in the case of the Pop and Jazz Course, pass the pre-selection phase.

The APPLICATION PERIOD
for the 1st Intake runs from December 1st to January 30th every year.
for the 2nd Intake runs from December 1st to April 30th every year.

Therefore the Deadline to send the Application Form and the pre-selection video is either January 30th or April 30th, according to the selected intake. Late applications will be singularly considered, at the Direction’s discretion, on the basis of possible available places and/or renounces.

For further details on the Admission Procedure and to fill in the Admission Web-form, please visit the dedicated web-page:
http://saintlouiscollege.eu/international-students

No payment is needed during the Admission phase.

info: international@slmc.it